tell me your dreams
by lrviolet
Summary: He lays all his cards down, plays everything right, even cheats once or twice, three times more, but he leaves still empty-handed. Gambling AU


A/N: If you're uncomfortable of character deaths, then this might not be your cup of tea. This is quite a glum not-so-fix-it fic.

* * *

The sunset feels crisp on the first day, somewhere between the 22nd of July and the 23rd, at a weekend near the convenience store where the postman usually forgets to deliver and where cul-de-sac brats show off artistic talents on the side of old Lee's shop. But he drops by the mart, explains his new in town and wants a grand tour with the nooks, crooks and crannies about the place so resident girl scout volunteers. They walk, shoulders hunched and tired, ankles dragged along with the failing sun, shadows extending thinner behind, and both almost completely silent except for their footsteps, brushing on the undone asphalt. It ends with secret smiles.

"How do you find the place so far?"

He beams readily at her, hands down his pockets. "Pretty cool, honestly."

Wavering the aloof front and in red, she looks away but unable to for long when she glances a smile. "That's good to hear."

"Naruto's my name!" he says in the most Naruto-fashion.

"Hinata."

Although it will be easier to admit this is love at first sight and quickly end the story with _happily ever after_ , it's still a first, among things otherwise. Because the otherwise depicts reality, the scowling and cold truth, and to live with such principle will lessen disappointments and surprises. Something so more known in the world they live in, the town that kept countless skeletons in the closet, most cobwebbed by lies.

Love is without a doubt the last thing they need.

* * *

 **Tuesday.**

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

Somber, awake, he stirs at his name that in the middle of reflecting and half-consciously counting the minutes since he arrived earlier, his eyes edgily look up to the man behind the bars. Opposite side of the bars. Naruto refuses to stand up, still staring fatally at the dark officer and his protruding belly pressed back by possibly an uncomfortable uniform.

"Got lucky this time, kid," the officer spats while chewing his gum in sync with his mild key fumbling. Bailed after five hours or bailed at 4 AM in the morning: he wonders which pissed off the man more.

Someone reports him of stealing meat, which he presses he has nothing to do with an hour after. Twenty-eight years old with two records for robbery, Naruto suddenly remembers his first time stealing a car in the speedway. A couple of miles later he finds himself in Konoha, meeting unexpected people and doing unexpected things. He brings Hinata with him from then on, and he doesn't forget why he has to. Konoha is dreamland; they both need to be here together.

He also remembers the cause of last night's incident, intoxicated from Kiba chugging beer down his throat hours prior because according to the other man, it's time to get those _'unwanted senses behind'_.

Dawdling, he passes, poking the officer's bulging tummy out of thank you and he never turns his back as he walks down the hall towards the front desk of the station. His three favorite persons in the world are sitting on the bench: an overly brooding boy and two girls to his either side, one wearing a skirt that reaches the floor. Naruto smiles in her direction first, while the girl with pink hair merely glares at him, crossing her arms in approach.

"Thanks Sakura," Naruto mutters, head down when she throws her fist at him, before Sasuke is right behind, already holding her back.

"Thank Sasuke," Sakura retorts. "If he didn't know the woman, you'll still be in here until we got you a lawyer."

There was that rare overbearing comfort of seeing the people he loves the most gather like it's some family reunion for the very wrong cause.

Naruto nods at her request and holds out his hand. "Thanks man." Exchange of tight grip, the night falling silent. Sakura drills her nail-polished finger to his ribs like the knife it secretly is. "You're a dead man, you bastard. We paid almost everyone not to have those tapes brought against you."

"I was drunk," Naruto explains slowly before receiving a familiar roll of the eyes. "Sheesh, I wasn't going to steal pork chop meat, who does that anyway? I mean I was just hungry and –"

Sasuke then stands in between them, holding the girl's hands for any more jabbing. "Sakura enough. It's not like he was going –"

"The lady was like, 'Oh you're friends with that thief?' and you think it was easy to say yes? I hate you, you know that?" she snarls, upset, fist assaulting his chest.

The dark-haired man behind skirts around Sakura's waist, pulling her back. "Enough. He's still a little lost from the incident. We're all trying to move on, aren't we?"

Naruto's friends banter for as long as they can manage, from Sakura's unexplainable demands to Sasuke's rebuttal on and on about electric bills. He bickers endlessly with her, and she the same, cursing in the late night. Naruto lets them be just for tonight (or today because the sun will be up and so will the city be) – they're, after all, already in the police station anyway.

The other visitor is the quietest, oppressed clearly at all this madness Naruto has done. Slowly he moves closer, pushes aside the fringes covering her eyes and waits for any reaction. She doesn't make one.

Inching closer and holding her hand, he then whispers, "Hey."

She shakes her head, eyes slightly teary. "Don't do that ever again."

Naruto smiles. His hands tighten around her, cuddling her closer until it is impossible to breathe despite her refusal for affection, and she still smells the same way he has left her, still giggles the same way he remembers and it's a little out of nostalgia even though they have seen each other last night right before he attends Kiba's birthday bash.

But Naruto misses Hinata quite a lot, a little too much from normal that now his smile fades into the daylight and they all leave with Sasuke sleepy behind the wheel, Naruto beside him with eyes at his two girls in the backseat, and Sakura fast asleep on Hinata's lap. The latter remains pensive, just like how she usually is these days.

"It's this Saturday."

"I know."

"Scared?"

"Can't remember a time that I wasn't."

Naruto rubs his hands together and tries to get some shuteye the moment he enters his frowsy apartment of five years, five years filled to the brim of memories. It's barely sunrise, barely even called a day, but he's barely awake and neither is Hinata, tagging along with him up exactly forty-two steps without complaint.

He sleeps the whole day, Hinata by his side holding on to her sanity as much as he is with his own, and his heart continues to ache. Naruto dreams, about the last time he has been contented and miserable at the same time, about her, and it hurts – one mistake and gamble at a time.

-x-

District 75, down south in the outskirts of Konoha, proves a makeshift edition of a dystopian central: blue, subjugated – it isn't happy. Happy is a dream something citizens of this particular district know of as unreachable like the stars, and Naruto tells Hinata one day after work that he'll catch a star for her. He will one day, when Hinata believes and stops teasing: he'll start tying ropes, round up the moon and climb up. She doesn't believe, she isn't one for those things though. So that star remains unreached, until Naruto eventually forgets its worth and its existence.

The streets are still unfinished, the butcher's glass window still with endearing graffiti, the government unstoppably corrupting every dime down to their pockets; crime rates are above reproach and incomparable yet to any other town. The newspaper says so itself, but even priests aren't anymore that sure if the media has been paid for it too. Most of the time people crowd in one place for lottery bets, or horse racing bets, or other bets that may ease living morbidly for the past years. Seldom has a winner been born; the next morning he is dead, killed in bed, in his own home, or maybe while getting the paper from the front lawn, his prize money thieved.

Naruto lives uptown where all the big houses and conceited people are, hated mostly by the neighborhood the moment he becomes a local. Their household though becomes a very vulnerable target, robbed for two to twenty times, Naruto isn't sure with the statistics anymore. Upon his parents' decision to split, he remembers little of the energy he pursued onto packing his bags and jumping out of the window or something of which where he ends up at the mart, broke after eating a burger then having it stolen at a bus stop. And it's only been twenty hours.

"Naruto… right?" The girl from the counter peeks, eyebrows knotted together.

 _Ah, it's his first love_ , his intolerable hunger says to him. "Hinata?"

She smiles sweetly, nods… he faintly remembers most of it due to a hit in the head years later (which is now).

They do fall in love.

Like Cinderella does with her prince charming who found her lost slipper, like Sleeping Beauty does with her knight who woke her from a dead dream. Like every noisy fairytale that comes to mind involving destiny or luck or pixie dusts.

Perhaps the only troublesome villain to Naruto rescuing his princess (or the other way around) then is that he doesn't realize he has to keep saving her for the rest of his life.

* * *

 **Wednesday.**

Sometimes he doesn't remember where this kind of hobby has developed from, but Hinata does know and she does always remember, after being with the man for practically nearly half of her lifetime. Suddenly his bag is too filled up, his favorite black shirts are spilling and Hinata is on the floor, picking them up one by one, neatly folding them and placing these back, still in silence.

"Start packing yours," he instructs hastily, as he busies himself with moving every piece of clothing from the drawers to the tiny suitcase obviously born to carry only a day's vacation.

She sits on the floor, tired, restless - rubbing her eyes because it's only twilight and her afternoon naps have always been longer ever since the other day. "Can't we stay?"

"When I say pack, I mean pack because we can't stay," Naruto replies, not even looking at her. Unnerved, she watches in peace at the man doing it himself, and after two back-to-back pacing, he growls, "Dammit, Hinata! We have to leave!"

"You told me last night Mr. Yaku won't be collecting rent until the end of –"

Naruto throws the floral cardigan straight at her, and she falls silent, almost glaring heatedly. "Naruto Uzumaki, that is not how you treat a girl!"

He runs to her and cups her face, kissing her forehead. "He's kicking us out tonight without the dough, do you understand? We don't have that enough cash."

"I saved up some cash just in case this day comes," she assures, heading for her piggy bank on top of the dresser. Naruto can't even look at her straight in the eye when she finds the safe empty and clean as a whistle.

"Lost half at the race earlier," he answers in a whisper, forcing his clothes down the little box. "The other half is still in my pocket if you want it."

Rolling her eyes, she flops at a nearby bed, adding, "I'm not going."

He turns to her again in an instant, almost pleading yet unsympathetic. "Hinata please, I need you to cooperate."

"But it's our home!" She barks at him back, her arms hugging her cardigan. "Where are we gonna go after this? This is all we have."

"Well, you go find a job, yes? Because I am fucking tired trying to keep up with your demands as well, just to be very honest," he yells, throwing his hands on monologue as Hinata starts tearing, and deliberately out of nowhere rummages through her things and throws them inside their single bag. A pair of underwear, some ripped jeans and a shirt, and she jumps out of her slippers to her aging sneakers, Naruto trying his hardest not to be pissed further.

To make matters worse, a stabbing on the door frightens both, followed by the loud bomb of order to open this door or Mr. Yaku of Apartment 873 of whatever-this-street-is calls the police (as if Naruto hadn't been there last night himself). Eyes widening, Hinata faces Naruto in burden, with the man already thinking two steps ahead from her, swiftly holding her hand and pulling her up to the window that leads to the fire exit, his other hand tagging the suitcase. They live at the fourth floor, after forty-two steps within. The ladder outside though has been out of Naruto's estimation.

"We. Are. Leaving." He firmly adds when an uncertain Hinata feels the wind caressing her cheek and the moon sighing at this one-way escapade. He looks down to check how far until the ground, assumes death by closing his eyes. The stars he promised are invisible tonight, a signal of rain sometime soon. She goes first bravely, the hem of her skirt getting ripped to some extent when she hurriedly slides down, still steadfastly gripping his hand, protective, safe, warm.

As they get into the second landing, they can hear the door from their place forced open, no gunfire thankfully unlike the last time they have tried escaping rent payables, but a resemblance to a lion growling about a prey's escape comes close to it and they laugh secretly as Hinata jumps down a minute later, unharmed. Naruto manages to smile at her quickness, dashing through the shadows when the creditor above lurks in hopes to find the two, or at least track them, but fails, for they conceal themselves within the dimness, like alley cats that they have grown up to be.

"That was good," Hinata tells him, burping and throwing the barbeque stick away. Street food has always tasted better to them both no matter how many times it makes Naruto's stomach churn uncomfortably. The curb at the side of the pavement in between the supermarket's parking lot and a bouquet stand provides them a seat, or a bed, or whatever it may seem like to bystanders at the moment and neither one complains about it. For now, it's as good as home.

"Did we hit the jackpot tonight?" she asks him excitedly, as though she means it. She never does, not one bit.

Looking up, he shakes his lottery ticket at her lovely face, eventually taking her hand and settling her next to him. She whispers a lemme-see-it-first, because it's routinely when they put all of their remaining change for this stuff, and she checks to make sure Naruto includes her birthday, his own, their first meeting, their anniversary, and when they can't make that one in a billion chance, she tells him it's all right. There's always a next time. Always.

Trying to hide it but fails, Hinata shivers in the cold, burying herself closer to him, and he catches her smile with an arm as her blanket. "I'm sorry."

She shakes her head. It isn't his fault, she emphasizes, but too tired to speak it out loud. Naruto reads it easy, easier than anyone else and so he dabs a small kiss on the side of her head in regret.

"I'm sorry," he repeats rather softly, his arm still by her shoulder in hopes she doesn't go away as everything else did in their lives. "You can stay at Sasuke's place and you and Sakura can knit mittens for children like before, who knows."

"It's not your fault," she answers finally with a straight face, and then falls asleep.

Naruto is wearier than ever, rain queuing to pour, the two sheltering under the closed flower shop's red and white canopy. He pretends she's right this time. Nothing hurts even more.

-x-

Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki have been best friends for all they can remember; the earliest of memories seem to involve the other. Desperately wanting to lift the status quo, they sign contracts and swear on blood not to tell a single soul about the lives in the underground market, a year just after high school graduation. Naruto and Hinata are already going out for a year now, with Sasuke oftentimes the third wheel. He befriends Hinata after endless sulking. Naruto stalls most of the time when questions are raised between their secret operations, though. Neither musters up the courage to tell her the truth, only half of it, but she's proud of Naruto, of them both, saying the stars finally are closer, and the heavens are now listening.

It hasn't always been easy for anyone. Sasuke joins the bandwagon out of rebellion from his father forcing law school, so it goes the same for him too. Every job back at District 75, Naruto testifies to have experienced each, thinking more jobs are necessary to survive, to keep him and Hinata alive in this game so aside from an occasional pizza delivery boy by day, he paves to work at a 24/7 drive-thru restaurant at night. On Mondays and Wednesdays, he asks Hinata on her day off to stay over while he works, because she too is homeless, disowned by her family, orphaned, and sleep is still vital so he sneaks her under the cash register, and she just sleeps. Their three weeks' earnings from movie theatre ticketing to babysitting little monsters pass off to rent a 57 sq. metered apartment in Konoha, the dream town. From then on, they avoid looking back.

Sasuke usually travels with executives back and forth in their respective businesses and such trades are beyond top secret (because most of the time they are illegal and off the radar). Naruto on the other hand handles finances, lends money and collects them, for all its unlawful purposes as well. While Sasuke leaves for Paris to represent a Mafia gamble fair, Naruto faces one particular client that catches him off guard.

"Mr. Uchiha? What brings you here? Sasuke just left for France a few hours ago."

Fugaku appears stricter than Sasuke, and Naruto gulps because suddenly it just makes sense that how his best friend can be the worst asshole.

He sits across him without preserving any eye contact. "Say, you do a very special task for me, Naruto, and I'll reward you for your valor twice your earnings."

"Task? Sure, anything Mr. Uchiha. From fake documents to licenses, you know us," he says enthusiastically. "Did you inform Sasuke you'll be here this morning? Do you have any appointments with our head?"

Mr. Uchiha leans closer and mutters, "Let's keep this between you and me. No Sasuke involved."

-x-

Her real name is Sakura Haruno. Codename: Cherry bomb, and Naruto's first encounter with the subject is a kiss, on the lips, a little wild either way, tasting of plum and sugar just after a bottle of champagne, and not very Hinata-like which he can't keep the thought out of his mind while undressing the other girl. He is first to part because a girl is waiting for him at home tonight –it's their anniversary, after all. She looks at him queasily, finger at ready when he makes excuses of leaving her when fun happens to be around the corner.

"It's about the land, isn't it?" Sakura answers after being ceaselessly rejected.

"Pardon?" Naruto raises a brow, fixing his tie and looking at his watch. It's a quarter to ten. Dinner will be cold. And the candlelight back home will be as dead as his phone at the moment.

"The land," she says again, crossing her arms. "You're here because of Fugaku Uchiha, are you not? They've been trying to chase off the property from my parents for ages, which is kind of impossible because it's written under the Harunos' and kid, you're stuck in this cobweb of a mess as much as I am." Circular silvers escape her lips as she puts down her filter cigarette to die, a teasing smile set on her lips. Must be the alcohol, and that pink bustier Sakura wears on the first meeting, and entirely Hinata who is up all night preparing dinner and falling asleep on the couch waiting, that Naruto finally leaves worried. He needs help.

"Sasuke, do this for your dad."

A week after his trip to Europe, Sasuke hears everything from Naruto, the plans, the codename and knowing partly about the land dispute, he scowls, turning around his swivel chair. "But I don't want to date. Not Sakura in particular. She's bad news."

Naruto runs his fingers through his hair, now sweaty because of the broken fan. "Yes, you do. Trust me, you'll like Sakura. You said so before yourself that she's pretty."

"But she's a Haruno. They're impossible to be with. I've met her a couple of times before, hooked up and it didn't just click. Our families don't really –"

"Will you just go on a date with her please? I specifically told her to meet up at seven tomorrow in Café Oriental, and if you don't show up, we're both dead," Naruto warns. "So do it, you bastard."

Sasuke hits him underneath with his leg, before standing up in aggravation, pacing back and forth in the room and yelling as he slams out, "It's not like this is going to change anything!"

Amused years later, Naruto can't help but smile at the two getting together over iced Americano, even though he has lied to Sakura (a blind date between the two) for a big bang. _Apparently Sasuke, it does change everything_ , Naruto thinks.

Sasuke's father shares rights over the land the Harunos have locked up, Sasuke's marriage consoles other employees about true love, and Naruto proposes to Hinata with a diamond ring.

Everything is going right on track.

* * *

 **Thursday.**

He divides the load while thinking how unfair of a game rock, paper, scissors is, putting the glasses first on the sink and letting water clean through for the mean time. Just before he knows it, Sakura stands beside him, her hands now with gloves and a grungy decade-old-looking sponge. The ring bounded on his fingers catches her attention once more while he scrubs the plates and it makes her smile out of pity.

"It's good to know you guys are still pretty much connected," she says and Naruto smiles back. "You and Hinata. Most couples… you know."

"Till death do us part," Naruto says in a singsong voice.

"Right, till death," Sakura echoes blandly, also turning her back and both their eyes stuck on the two people by the living room. Sasuke's legs are sprawled while two screwdrivers, a long one and another as short as a thumb, sit on top of the table, and the cell phone dissected into parts, detached circuit boards and miniscule bulbs –Hinata evidently watches in fascination. She even picks up unnoticeable items such as the springs or rubber bands, observing Sasuke as he turns more screws around and back again because the batteries are failing.

"Thanks for responding to my call last night. It was starting to get too cold," Naruto tells the other girl.

"You looked like you were going to freeze to death to be honest," Sakura replies, soaping the rest of the plates. "And besides, just know we're always here for you, you psycho. We've had enough of your suicidal moments, thank you very much so please don't even try to get yourself sick this way and all. You've got to eat, and work out more and –"

"I'm not suicidal, Sakura," He chuckles at the lie.

"Well, your wife usually takes a spot next to Sasuke when he's fixing things," Sakura switches the conversation and Naruto turns around to see how true.

He watches the girl in nostalgia. "She's probably the happiest person on earth when Sasuke begins his experiments."

"It proves that Hinata likes me more than she likes you, ain't that right?" Sasuke ends up saying, overhearing the two in the kitchen. Hinata represses her giggles, as the other three eventually fight over who is better for whom. Naruto himself ends up sitting next to her after chores, fiddling with her ring identical to his own, watching a horror movie for the seventh time and still someone can't get the plot twist over: Sakura's kicking and constant screams keep everyone awake until the end where no protagonist even survives.

-x-

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the –"

He takes her in his arms, swirls her around and their lips meet without delay, Sakura and Sasuke to either sides clapping in merriment for finally tying the knot after years of wait. The simple ceremony ends with Naruto carrying her down the aisle, to some threshold they may call home. Chirps from birds and Gaara's piano skills become a one hit soundtrack. Not as many cheers as they have hoped, for the benches are empty today, so Sakura tosses the bouquet up and down as if it were a plaything, Sasuke attempts of annoying thing from her hands. No parents present, no godmothers or godfathers to witness – but they have God's blessing, and the other inseparable duo's too and they have each other. For as long as they live, they are each other's, and no one else's. The star they have longed to catch for ages now showers them with all of District 75's favorite rarity: happiness.

Loved, and being in love. Sometimes it's so hard to accept it and know it'll just be taken away.

(Tell me your dreams, I'll tell you mine.)

* * *

 **Friday.**

"You lose," he puts down his cards, a royal serve and the ace of spades at ready. She reveals the ones in her hand, grimaces at once at the unpaired tiny attacks and kicks the table in a fit while Naruto laughs, lying on his back now in satisfaction. Sasuke's tiled rusty roof needs a fixing, that's for sure, so he tries to keep this in mind before he goes to bed tonight.

"I always lose," she mutters coldly, head craned back to see unwavering constellations above.

"Come here, you."

Swiftly, he tugs on her jumper, pulling her down next to him, and his back hurts just a little bit as it hits the roof because Hinata has gone heavier since that day and he isn't getting any younger either. He likes to keep her to his side, her hair falling perfectly all over her face without worry, her eyes burning brighter than any galaxy up in the sky. And Hinata stays there, safe, loved, holding on because they can fall off if they aren't too careful, holding on because that's probably the only thing she knows.

"I miss doing this. Back home, I mean."

"We didn't really have a home, though," he phrases for her.

She plants a kiss on his cheek just for the moment. He looks at her sideways, eyebrows coming together in query. "What? I don't smell that bad, do I?"

Naruto chuckles, embracing her closer. "No, not that much. But we both need a bath."

"You don't regret marrying me, right? Not one bit, right? Even though I stink, right?" The side of his smile falters first, breaks, and as soon as he does this Hinata follows in suit, tracing the tired lines around his eyes and by his chin in silence. She flicks the tears now at the corner of his eyes, and he breathes in, unable to look at her.

"And you, Hinata? Are you sorry that it's me? That you married me?"

She looks at him happily, "Of course not. Why would I?"

"That's too bad because I do regret marrying you," he discloses, gets up suddenly and starts walking back to the balcony of the guest room. Hinata sits still, her heart as stable as it has been for a long time now. His chest hurts and it doesn't stop for a long long time, eventually lying down on his bed screaming and messing the pillows and making so much noise that the next thing he sees is Sasuke rushing through the door, waking him up from cold sweat as his nervous self stirs up, sees the window to the balcony open.

Hinata is not to his side. Only his cards from last night's game, the king of hearts, the queen of diamonds and two jacks of spades with the ace, but no Hinata anywhere.

It's three hours till sunrise. Saturday.

-x-

"You've got until Wednesday 5:00 pm to return the thirty-five million in full, Mr. Naruto Uzumaki," the voice mail proceeds, his hand trembling even more. "We've debited the other 15 million from your capital account. As of now, your account is as good as gone. Please settle this balance before Mr. Tsukiro settles this with you himself. You know where to find us. We've made too many extensions for your debt. Please be considerate towards us as well. We will no longer give another final notice. This will be the last."

"Honey, the rice is burning!" Hinata shouts from kitchen, Naruto jolting upward and letting go of the phone. He runs to her at once, takes out the pot from the burner and settles it on the dining table. She prepares the red stew afterwards, and then they both say their prayers for the food before them. Yet his mind completely goes nuts thinking about the message and final call. He has more or less twenty-four hours to pay back a loss from a certain card game five months ago, that Hinata knows nothing about either.

"Is it good?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? Because I think I put too many tomato sauce it's too sticky or something."

"It's good."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You're not even looking at me, Naruto. Can you even hear –"

"Hinata, please," his eyes cut her back once they fall on her, and she quiets down, finishes her meal without another word. He doesn't speak to her for the rest of the day, minding his own business as she with hers. They go grocery shopping afterwards, kisses and hugs and everything is suddenly better.

* * *

 **Wednesday, one week ago.**

The next morning he feels worse going to work, with Sasuke throwing literally too many papers for him to do in a deadline. Deadlines: an hour more and not a single cent in his wallet.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sakura's not pregnant yet, okay. I'm frustrated enough," he answers monotonously while filing more reports together, not even looking up as he staples and clips then arranges the rest of his messed up desk.

Naruto shakes his head at what will have been a good joke if he is in the mood. "Listen, can I borrow some cash? Will pay you back at the end of the month, I promise."

Sasuke stops, giving him attention. "How much is it this time?"

"Well, how much can you grant your old pal?"

"Old pals become the worst enemies when it comes to money," Sasuke responds, almost sensing the trouble between Naruto making his request so instantaneously and his evading of the truth. "Naruto, how much?"

"35 million," he blurts, roughly begging for a yes.

Sasuke blinks a couple of times. "Ask the head for an advance."

"Sasuke, they've taken all of my advances for the whole year," he sighs heavily, shaking his head and knowing that even his best friend who has helped him through every struggle in the past can't attest now to handing him enough. Agitated he rushes for his coat, prompts his watch to see he has less than an hour to go, and finally decides to leave the office and Sasuke stresses over suddenly at his haste.

He receives a call while walking down the streets, his heart feeling at risk of some sort, he can't tell what it is yet but he knows the mess he has gotten himself into.

"Where are you Mr. Uzumaki? Our accountant has until 5 and it seems you haven't deposited a single cent," screeches an anonymous deputy, and he paces the bus stop in discomfort.

"Can you extend it until Friday? I promise I'll pay you in full by then. Please."

"We cannot make any more extensions, Mr. Uzumaki. Please pay your remaining balance or face the consequences."

Naruto shakes his head, getting on the bus for home. "Look, okay fine. How about tomorrow? I'll hand in the money to your account–"

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Uzumaki. If you cannot pay within this hour, your payable will be terminated and other terms will be used in order for us to receive the amount borrowed. Please deposit the money now. Or else."

"I need more time –"

"Naruto, this is Mr. Tsukiro," cuts off the caller. "It's either you pay us in damn cash now or something else in return. We understand your condition as of the moment isn't too well, but that is not our concern. Our concern is the terms we have decided on the day you needed our money. Just like your company, we're not as you may say it, lawful. And let me tell you this, to get back we may as well do the same unlawful things your dissident establishment always do, shipping heroin abroad, human trafficking, the works," Naruto gaps, sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Yes, Mr. Uzumaki. We initially had you background checked, just to be sure you will be able to pay back," the older man condemns. "Will you be able to pay us now?"

"No, sir. Please, give me an extension. I assure you, I'll pay you tomorrow plus the outstanding interest."

"Then I bid you good day, and make sure you hold on to the things you might want to keep until the end of the day. You'll never hear from us ever again."

Beep. _Beep._

The first thing that comes to mind after the words unlawful and 'want to keep until the end of the day' linger is Hinata, and his heart races against time, dialing home to signal his wife of the trouble they are about to face. After three failed attempts, Hinata finally picks up the phone, Naruto breathing so hard his lungs are about to collapse any second, and so are his legs, forced to run in deep shortcuts and alleys to home.

"Hinata? Dammit, what took you so long to answer?"

"Grocery."

"Lock the doors, the windows, every shit even the fire exit. Do it now."

"Why? Are you okay? What's going on –?"

"Hinata, do it now and don't answer anyone after this call, okay? Listen baby, hide in the closet until I come, okay? I'm almost home, just stay still."

"Actually, someone just called before you did and they were looking for you. Naruto, what is going on?"

Naruto heaves in another shaky sigh, adding, "Just stay still, okay. Just stay still."

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"I love you." Weakly, unappreciatively, insincerely, a form of contempt maybe. And that is when he can't take it anymore.

Naruto's heart drops at the words, as though stalling, breaking a promise, going away and never coming back. I love you: to Hinata it may also mean I'm sorry, I need you, Come back, Goodbye – just to name a few things that the phrase denotes. As he arrives nearly breathless by their street the silence murders him in horror and to no extent, his agitation heightens. The spare key under the mat goes to the door, which is surprisingly left unlocked even though he specifically had told her to do so. In panic, Naruto enters, calling out her name. But there is no response.

That same very night the police come to his apartment, a horde of medics behind and a stretcher. Blue, red and green and yellow – interchanging lights in his eyes that blur because of his heart wrenching to a rhythm he has never heard of before. Five minutes later, Naruto continues writing the most important part of the story, whispering stay, stay stay at the back of the ambulance, holding the pale girl's hand, her clothes murky with bloodstains and parts of her lower body gashed.

She holds on, because that's the only thing she knows.

* * *

 **Saturday.**

"The passing of our dearly beloved has brought us to conclusion that so many things can happen in an instant," he fixes his tie and his gaze to the people sitting in front so close to her casket. Sasuke is as threatening as he is since last week, Sakura having to fight the tears back with puffy red eyes, and even his father who he has not seen in ages comes over mourning for his daughter-in-law. The regular company, his friends truly are. And then the secondary guests, Kiba Inuzuka, one of Hinata's closest at the back, a Shino Aburame, and Sai, among others who feels the nirvana even a second of her presence, touching the skeletons in the closet of old District 75.

"Ten days ago, my wife was murdered. She stayed in the hospital in her last hours. Sasuke hires the best investigators to search the scene. Sakura pays the best doctors to do what they can to take out two bullets, and at most, simply revive her. Even they cannot. Someday I'll understand why she had to leave but for now, I'm off to believe that I'm at fault for not being able to protect her," Naruto continues, keeping a straight face.

"I am regretful that I married such a fine woman who I do not deserve and who in the sense does not deserve to die for my mistake. I wish to go back in time and stop myself from actually meeting her because by now, she will still be alive, and happy, and knitting mittens and making stew and watching Sasuke fix stupid contraptions. Because I don't remember a day without her, it feels like it never happened at all, that she is still with me, in everything I do. Not just watching, but she's there. Always there, telling me about her dreams and telling me stories about the future or the past or something she would like to make out of an ordinary day. Sometimes she plays poker with me, wouldn't that be strange?"

Naruto smiles at the faint figure in front, wearing her favorite white dress and her hair tied high up. "And she'll always smile at me and tell me it's going to be okay because we'll hit the lottery next time. I don't know when exactly we will hit it but she says we will. Some time. Next time."

Life is a gamble. And so is love.


End file.
